The Liberty Bell High School boys’ track and field team won the Central Washington 2B League North championship for the fourth consecutive year in sub-district competition at Oroville last Saturday (May 17), and in the course of the meet advanced 17 Mountain Lions — 12 boys and five girls — to the district championships in Ephrata on Saturday (May 24).

Lauren Fitzmaurice led the girls’ team with a win in the 300-meter hurdles.

Watson, still nursing an ankle sprain sustained the previous week at the LBHS Invitational, limited his competition to one leap that proved sufficient to qualify him for districts.

Since only the top four qualifiers in each event move on to district competition “times and distances were not as important as the placing in the top four,” said coach Rocky Kulsrud.

“Districts will be a very competitive meet with the top two qualifying for the state meet in Cheney,” Kulsrud said. He noted that owing to the number of good athletes competing, “some kids who will finish third at districts could have placed at the state meet but instead have to stay home this year.”